This disclosure relates to systems and methods for operating flash lamps, particularly controlling the properties of high energy pulses produced by flash lamps.
Flash lamps (also called discharge lamps) are operated with a trigger circuit to provide a pulse of light, which can include visible, ultraviolet (UV), and infrared (IR) radiation. A flash lamp is an electric arc lamp that produces intense, incoherent radiation for short pulse widths (durations). Flash tubes are typically made of a glass (e.g., quartz or borosilicate glass) envelope that can be linear, helical, U-shaped, or have some other shape. Electrodes are provided at either end. The envelope is filled with a gas that, when triggered, ionizes and conducts a high energy pulse to produce the light. Flash tubes are used in a wide variety of applications, including sintering, sterilizing, solar simulators, and curing.